


you can't think of yesterday

by reconstrictions



Category: K-pop, Nine Muses
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-20 00:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1489087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reconstrictions/pseuds/reconstrictions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Hyemi's at it, maybe she'll figure out the elixir of life too. Anything is possible with the right chemistry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you can't think of yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> Because [frankiewenttohollywood](http://archiveofourown.org/users/frankiewenttohollywood/works) said "the prompt generator gave me "science experiments" earlier with them but then i got exhausted thinking about it". Disclaimer that I know nothing about science labs in college and how they operate.
> 
> Originally posted to [dreamwidth](http://ddoreureu.dreamwidth.org/4907.html).

People make jokes about this sort of thing. _Bad_ jokes based on even worse comedy movies that Hyemi wouldn't watch even if bribed with dessert. Yet here she is, picking herself up from the floor of the chemistry lab, and staring at herself.

( _Cloning_ was never in her plans, dammit.)

"Wha. What happened?" her double asks, and Hyemi is _so_ not prepared for this right now. She presses the heel of her palm to her forehead, trying to convince herself of the possibility that she'd slipped somehow and hit her head. This is just a concussion, she hasn't circumvented all known natural laws of the universe by creating a living, functional copy of herself. By accident.

Any hope that this is just a bizarre dream, however, is disproved by the dull thumping of a burgeoning headache. The stifling heat doesn't help, made worse by the long hair sticking to the back of her neck-

Wait.

Long hair?

"...Hyemi? Is that you? Did we _switch bodies_?" other-Hyemi demands. Hyemi hadn't thought it was possible for her own voice to go so shrill, but she knows whose does, and with that particular inflection to her speech.

"Kyungri?" Hyemi points at her other self. "You... is that you?"

*

Ten seconds of outrage are all Hyemi permits Kyungri to abuse her with, before a curt "You're making my headache worse" shuts her lab partner up. Kyungri huffs, lips pressing together as her chin dimples to resemble a walnut. And she glares, at a spot on the floor between them.

Despite herself, Hyemi is fascinated to watch Kyungri- her face, her body expressing those little quirks so distinctly Kyungri's. Hyemi's always thought of herself as plain, but Kyungri inhabiting her body is actually... kind of cute. Or maybe Kyungri is always cute, in general, whether she's strolling in late to class or focussed on her task at hand. Hyemi tries not to let herself notice too many of these moments; she does _not_ need to be any more smitten with her friend than she already is.

"So?" Kyungri demands after half a minute of silence. "What happened? Weren't we just clearing up since the lab tech's sick today? How did we get like-" she gestures at herself "-like this?"

"I don't know." Hyemi crosses her arms, frowning in her attempt to recall. One moment she's washing her hands in the sink and she's staring at herself on the floor in the next, a seamless transition without even a blank in between. "But let's just finish up what we were doing. We need to calm down first, just... a few minutes to think."

Hyemi picks herself up and gets to mechanically carrying out the tedium of repetitive chores. Kyungri follows just a beat behind. Neither will admit to placing hope in the faintest chance that the situation will fix itself, universe flexing its muscle to right this cosmic anomaly. This utter impossibility that stubbornly exists. 

*

Fifteen minutes later and they're perched on lab stools, staring at each other. A solution hasn't presented itself, but least Kyungri is no longer glaring like it's Hyemi's fault. Small victories are what count when it comes to Kyungri, Hyemi reminds herself.

"Okay. Let's... check online and see if we can find anything. Maybe it's happened before and someone else has a fix," Hyemi suggests. Their phones rest side by side on a lab bench and there's a moment of disorientation in figuring out which phone to use - her hand hovers over the pink casing of Kyungri's before finally picking up her own, loading up the web browser. 

"Right, 'cause we wouldn't hear about something like this on international news. That'll definitely help us."

Hyemi's head jerks back up, for her to see Kyungri dismissing the suggestion with a roll of her eyes. The careless brush-off makes her fume, and she can't bother to restrain the snap in her reply. "What do _you_ suggest then? We go to the hospital and ask them to fix us? We'll end up medical freaks if they don't lock us up for mental illness first-"

"But don't the movies always fix it with just a kiss?"

Hyemi hears a distant low roar in her ears, swiftly followed by heat rushing up from the base of her neck. It's impossible to look away although she tries to avert her gaze- and now she's squirming under the scrutiny of her _own_ eyes, seeing her own face flush pink too.

"You-" Her voice catches, and Hyemi has to swallow to clear her throat. "Do you want to kiss me or is this because it's the only chance you'll get to kiss yourself?" 

Weak as the jab is, it lifts the awkward tension slightly. Enough for Kyungri to squawk in genuine protest. "I hadn't even- I wasn't even thinking of that!"

(But Kyungri looks thoughtful almost immediately after. Hyemi doesn't delude herself into believing it's the former suggestion that has Kyungri considering.)

"Let's just check online," Hyemi mutters, going back to her phone. Whatever. She's used to Kyungri's moments of nonsense. It's right then that Kyungri's fingers curl into her collar, and she tugs- almost timidly.

' _Are you serious?_ ' is what Hyemi's raised eyebrow says. Only, Kyungri doesn't look like she's joking. Almost afraid, even. It's _really_ strange to see yet another expression that only Kyungri could make, now on the face Hyemi usually sees in the mirror. 

Hyemi sighs. Denying herself is not a problem, and denying Kyungri she does on a regular basis. But this intersection of both, Kyungri's hope and her own selfish desire, is a different beast. Hyemi puts a hand on Kyungri's (her own?) shoulder and leans forward. And stops.

"This is too weird," she mutters again, closing her eyes. Unlike _some people_ , she's never been particularly taken with her own looks; the very thought of kissing herself is even less appealing. Eyes closed, she leans in and hopes that Kyungri will meet her halfway at least once. 

This time, she does.

'Kyungri kisses Hyemi' or 'Hyemi kisses Kyungri' are not accurate, for they imply some sort of passivity on the part of either party. 'They kiss' is also woefully inadequate and bland. Perhaps the best way to describe what happens would be to say that 'Kyungri kisses Kyungri', because there's nothing closer to capturing the degree of feeling and absorption into the kiss.

Hyemi doesn't think of all this. Hyemi doesn't think at all, except to realise she desperately needs to breathe. Her heart is beating too fast and she's feeling dangerously light-headed when she pulls back, still leaning against Kyungri for support. Hyemi doesn't open her eyes yet, allowing herself a second to falter before she does.

"...it actually worked?" is Hyemi's incredulous declaration upon seeing Kyungri's smirking face.

But then the smirk abruptly drops, and Kyungri's shoulders sag with disappointment. "Does that mean we can't kiss again? If. If that happens every time."

Hyemi is suddenly aware of their proximity, aware that her hand remains curled in Kyungri's collar and that they share the same air with every breath. She notices that Kyungri now has one arm half-curled behind her neck, _still_ holding her close though their crisis has passed.

...does that mean Kyungri wants to kiss her again? But she's never. But. Boyfriends. But. Kyungri hasn't dated anyone in the last three months, which is a new record in the three years that they've known each other. And if Hyemi pays attention to some of the things Kyungri has been saying, the way she's been acting recently. The heat in Kyungri's gaze, sparks of hope tempered by fear. Maybe, oh. _Oh_.

"We should... ah. Check if it happens again. Or if it was some weird cosmic blip that'll never happen again. Just to be sure. You know, for science." Hyemi's hesitation when she speaks belies the grin that pulls at her cheeks. 

She doesn't hesitate when her hand slides to cradle the nape of Kyungri's neck, and she leans in for another kiss.

*

It doesn't take particularly long for the new status of their relationship to get out. It isn't that Kyungri is any more affectionate towards Hyemi than usual - if anything, she's even more of a coy brat than before, though Hyemi hadn't thought that possible. Neither is it because this is Hyemi's first relationship and she can't keep a lid on how she feels.

They can only blame the fact that Hyemi's roommate fails to knock before entering. There is no warning before Sungah pushes open the door to enter, Hyuna and Sera behind, and finds Kyungri hugging Hyemi from behind, nuzzling against Hyemi's neck when they're watching a movie on Hyemi's laptop. 

(And they're sitting on Hyemi's bed, too. The only way it could get more incriminating would be if Kyungri had her hand up Hyemi's shirt.)

"Wow, congrats. When did you two...?" Sungah blurts out. The two on the bed freeze, Kyungri hurriedly scooting back to put some distance between Hyemi and herself, however belatedly futile the gesture is. Neither of them propose a reply, silence stretching on. Hyemi looks at Kyungri, oddly hesitant. Kyungri sort-of-glares back, and Hyemi finally answers.

"A... a couple of weeks." Hyemi speaks, after a false start or two. 

It's Hyuna who comes to their rescue. 

"Sorry we interrupted we're happy for you don't worry we'll talk about this later enjoy your movie maybe lock the door!!" she says smoothly, before pulling Sera and Sungah out of the room with her.

"Why did _I_ have to answer?" Hyemi complains with a baleful glare.

"Because I'm too eloquent to sound like Park Kyungri. Because I don't speak with a lisp," Kyungri- _Hyemi_ retorts. "Let's finish the movie later. We should switch back and tell them officially before Sera-unni starts getting funny ideas."


End file.
